By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
With the completion of the final point Tuesday night that sent Los Fresnos to the regional semifinal in San Antonio , the Lady Falcons were one step closer to making history.
“I think it’s a stepping stone toward achieving our dream,” Los Fresnos senior libero Alex Moya said, “which is making it to the state tournament.”
The thrilling win against the McAllen Rowe Lady Warriors took five games, but the Lady Falcons prevailed against what has proven to be tough competition for them in the past.
“It was exciting,” Lady Falcons senior outside hitter Alex Cano said. “I was excited to go against (McAllen Rowe hitter Mayda Garcia) again. But we knew what we had to do and everyone did their job.”
Coach Becky Woods doesn’t think the team would be taking a trip to San Antonio had it not been for the play of Cano and Moya.
“Cano had a great game (Tuesday) night,” she said. “Everything she did was correct. She was all over the court. She was hitting, she was motivating, she was serving great, she was digging. I couldn’t ask for more.
“If every one of my girls was doing what she was doing last night, I don’t think it would’ve gone to five games. Who knows, but I think we would have had a shorter night than what we had.
“And Moya is the heart and soul of the team. She’s all over the floor. After the first game, she got warmed up, she started playing and that’s what I needed her to do.”
While Woods extends all the praise to her team, Cano and Moya understand the impact their coach has had on the journey.
“Coach Woods motivates the team,” Cano said. “She tells us what we need to get done. Yes she chews us out, but it helps at the same time. She’s always there for us to tell us what to do.”
“She knows what we’re capable of, and she knows we can make it (to state),” Moya added. “She wants to make it just as bad as we do.”
Now that the season has been extended, the Lady Falcons will need to lean more heavily on the growing bond they have created with each other and put it to the test on a grander stage.
“We’re a big family on and off the court,” Moya said. “There’s no arguments, no drama, we’re basically like sisters.”
Los Fresnos will be tested when it faces off against San Antonio Churchill at 6 p.m. Friday. But a preseason trip to San Antonio helped Moya, Cano and the rest of the team get a gauge for the competition.
“We know what’s going to hit us,” Moya said. “Going to play against those girls in the tournament helped us a lot.
“We’re glad we made it to San Antonio, but we definitely want to get to state.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.